Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
by jzay
Summary: One-shot about next week's episode in court.


A/N: I'm just wrapping up a few other stories, so I may make this more than a oneshot, but I'm not sure yet. This is based on previews for next week.

"Dr. Robbins, it has been brought to the courts attention that Dr. Torres may have been distracted these last few months. Can you comment on how this may have affected her judgment in surgery?"

"It wouldn't affect her surgeries. She is the best surgeon I know," Arizona answered looking directly at Callie.

"I see, but isn't it true that you two are currently separated because of an act of infidelity on your part. How can she not be distracted by that?"

Arizona gulped not wanting to go back to this, but she had to stand up for her wife, or her ex or whatever.

"My marriage has nothing to do with her competence as a doctor. When things are not going well in her life, she throws herself into work and blocks everything else out. If anything, she was probably more focused so she didn't have to focus on our problems."

The prosecutor did not let up because he was hoping to turn wife on wife.

"I noticed you are wearing your ring and I can't help but notice your wife is not. According to my source, the two of you have been broken up for months. So it seems to me like you wouldn't want to say anything here to upset her when she is obviously not keen on taking you back."

"Objection!" Callie's attorney finally cut in, "I don't hear a question."

"I'll rephrase, what I'm asking is are you holding back because you want to score point with someone who, according to sources, keeps blowing you off and won't take you back? I remind you that you're under oath."

"I wouldn't use something so serious to score brownie points with my wife. Our problems are our problems and they have no place in this courtroom. Personally and professionally I can speak to Dr. Torres's character and skill. She is an amazing doctor who I believe to be the best orthopedic surgeon available to patients."

"Dr. Robbins, you have a prosthetic and your wife was the one who made the call to cut off your leg, am I correct?"

"Yes," Arizona said immediately tensing up.

"And would you say, as a surgeon, she made the right call?"

Callie gulped, this was it. He had found the thing that would make Arizona question her ability as a doctor.

"Yes." Callie's head shot up totally not expecting that answer, "If you had asked me that right after the amputation, I would have been angry and bitter and probably blamed her. But I now know, my wife did everything imaginable to try to save my leg. She put together research and fought to be able to fix me. When she made the call to cut off my leg, it was a decision between my life and the leg. She made the correct call as a doctor, and as a wife."

"Thank you, nothing further," The prosecutor finally said realizing he was getting nowhere with her. It had probably hurt their case too for the jury to see how she stood behind an ex so firmly.

"Redirect your honor," Callie's attorney said, which made Callie surprised wondering what he could possibly have left to ask.

"You and Dr. Torres have a daughter together, correct?"

"Yes, Sofia."

"And if Sofia needed an orthopedic surgeon, pretend that there were not rules about family treating family, who would you choose. You could choose any surgeon in the world."

"I would choose her Mother, without question. She fights for her patients and her skill is unmatched. I would trust her fully with the life of our daughter or anyone else I care about."

"And as for the allegations about you doing this to score points. Are you trying to reconcile with your wife Dr. Robbins?"

"Yes, I want to, but the ball is in her court now."

"So it is safe to say you have stopped trying?"

Arizona was thrown by the question. Had she stopped trying? Did it look like she had given up on Calliope?

"Please answer the question Dr. Robbins," the judge interjected when she stayed silent.

"I have stopped begging for her to take me back. Of course, I want to be with her again, actually I want to be with her forever, but I messed up and I understand why she can't forgive me."

"Objection, relevance?" the other lawyer cut in.

"I am merely trying to shed light on this relationship since the prosecution brought it up as important to her testimony."

"Sustained. Please wrap it up Mr. Brunner."

"The prosecution brought up your amputation to question Dr. Torres's judgment as a doctor. Do you blame Dr. Torres for having only one leg?"

Callie wished she could stop him. She was surprised enough that Arizona had said she agreed with the call, but to ask her about blame. Of course Arizona blamed her.

"No, I don't. I blamed her for a long time because I didn't know how to deal with my emotions. I put the blame on my wife, not on her as a doctor. Rationally, as a doctor, I knew amputation was unavoidable. As a wife, I was angry and bitter and needed someone to blame. It wasn't her fault, she did the best she could. I have her to thank for the fact that I can watch my daughter grow up. I have her to thank that I can still be a surgeon and save lives."

"Thank you Dr. Robbins. Nothing further."

Court seemed to drag on forever and all Callie really wanted to do was talk to Arizona. Finally, they called for the jury to deliberate and Callie immediately approached her wife.

"Arizona, can we talk?"

"Sure Calliope, what do you want to talk about?"

"Not here, come on," Callie said grabbing her hand and pulling her to the room she used to prepare before trial with her lawyer.

"I'm so sorry all of this is happening Calliope," Arizona said.

"I made a mistake Arizona. He's right, it's my fault, but it was a simple mistake."

"Surgeons make mistakes all the time and you are always too hard on yourself."

"Did you mean everything you said in there?" Callie asked.

"Of course I did, I was under oath."

"I know you were under oath. What I want to know is did it come from the heart, were you truly sincere?"

Arizona grabbed Callie's hands and pulled her closer.

"Calliope, I could not be more sincere. I don't blame you anymore and I was wrong to ever blame you. And I do believe you are an amazing surgeon. I once told you that 'you are great' and I meant it. You are a genius with a scalpel. This guy just wants someone to blame."

"Thank you."

"Calliope, you don't have to thank me. I just came and spoke the truth."

"I mean, thank you for being here, it means a lot."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. I don't know where our marriage stands, but to me you are still my wife and a wife stands by her partner. Even if we were divorced, I would still stand by you because I love you."

"I love you too Arizona and, I, I this has all been so hard. All I have wanted is someone to hold me at night and a shoulder to cry on."

"You have mine. I'm here for you, for whatever you need," Arizona said so relieved to hear Callie still loved her.

"I'm so exhausted and sick of all this crap."

"I know, you just have to stay strong," Arizona said pulling Callie into a warm embrace. It felt like heaven to hold her again. She never wanted to let go.

When they finally pulled away a little bit, Arizona said, "You put your ring back on. Is that just because your Dad is here?"

"No, well… it was at first, but he knows about us breaking up and I just couldn't take it off again."

"Yeah, I never took mine off. Only for surgeries like usual."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"I guess I'm still holding out hope that we can work this out. If I take it off for good, that makes it real and I can't deal with that right now."

Callie was silent for quite a while. Arizona just rubbed circles on her back thinking she was upset about the trial. Then, Callie finally spoke.

"Come home Arizona."

"What?"

"I want you to come home. We aren't fixed and we have a lot of work to do, but I want to try. Stop sleeping with stupid interns in your hotel room and come home to your family."

"You know about Leah?" Arizona questioned wondering why Callie hadn't freaked out about her.

"Yeah, I saw you two together and you know how hospital gossip spreads."

"Calliope, I'm sorry."

"Do you care about her?"

"No, not at all. She is just a distraction."

"Good, then leave the distraction and let's work on things so you won't need a distraction."

"I am so happy Calliope," Arizona said and without thinking she pulled her into a kiss. It started out slow and hesitant, but then it heated up. It was as if things were finally right in their worlds with just that one kiss.

"And one more thing," Callie added, "Stop sleeping with that intern. We aren't fixed, but consider this us being back together. If you ever sleep with anyone else, I will kick the crap out of you."

Arizona chuckled at Callie saying what she had said all those years ago.

"It's only you now, like it always should have been."


End file.
